


sleep is important, you know

by DipoLina



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Sleep Deprivation, Sleeping Pills, Tony Helps Peter, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Worried Tony Stark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-18
Updated: 2018-08-18
Packaged: 2019-06-29 08:32:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15725757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DipoLina/pseuds/DipoLina
Summary: Peter hasn’t been sleeping lately, Tony’s noticed. He hasn’t been his usual energetic self when he’s in the lab, or when Tony sometimes picks him up from school. He seems more and more tired every day Tony meets him, and it’s making him worry.Or, Peter isn't sleeping and Tony, Good Dad™, has a temporary solution.





	sleep is important, you know

Peter hasn’t been sleeping lately, Tony’s noticed. He hasn’t been his usual energetic self when he’s in the lab, or when Tony sometimes picks him up from school. He seems more and more tired every day Tony meets him, and it’s making him worry. He’s even had FRIDAY pull up readings from Peters Spider-Man suit, and FRIDAY had informed him that Peters symptoms could be compared to those suffering from sleep deprivation.

 

This has been going on for just about a week now.

 

It is currently Tuesday and Tony’s sitting in his parked car, waiting outside Peters school to pick him up for their scheduled lab work, but Tony has other plans today, plans that involve Peter getting some much needed sleep.

 

The car door opens and a very tired looking Peter gets in the passenger side.

 

“Hey, Mr. Stark.” He mumbles, his eyes half-lidded.

 

“Geesh, you look dead, kid. You okay?” He asks, hoping Peter will admit to not feeling well and making this situation much easier for Tony.

 

But, nope. He’s a stubborn kid.

 

“I’m fine, absolutely peachy.”

 

Tony can see how Peter is trying to shake himself awake, trying to stay more alert so Tony won’t suspect anything. It isn’t working.

 

“Sure you are.” Tony says dryly. “Let’s go.”

 

**-+-**

 

The whole drive to the compound Peter looks dead to the world, and when he thinks Tony isn’t watching, he lets out big, but quiet yawns.

 

They are now sitting in the lab, Tony looking over some new ideas and upgrades to his suit, while Peter is tinkering with some metal scraps and wires.

 

Because Tony knows Peter won’t admit to needing sleep (why did he even try getting him to?), Tony decides to be straightforward and break the comfortable silence in the room.

 

“How much sleep have you been getting lately?”

 

Peter turns abruptly, as if never expecting Tony to notice something was wrong. _Geez, how oblivious can you be?_

_”_ What? What do you­– where did that come from?”

 

“You’re not a very good actor, you know that, Pete?” Tony says, not looking up from his desk. “Answer the question.”

 

“I’ve– I’ve been sleeping fine.” He answers a little hastily, “Why are you asking?”

 

“Because you look like hell, kid. And I know you haven’t ‘been sleeping fine’. Anyone with a brain could see that.” Tony has now looked up from his work on the desk to look at Peter with a dry expression.

 

Peter visibly deflates. “Fine, I have been getting less sleep than I used to, but it’s not a problem, I swear! I look more tired than I am, promise. And if it helps, I’ll go to sleep early today.”

 

_You definitely are, if I have a say._

 

“Tell me, how much is ‘less’?”

 

“Just, less. It’s not a bid deal, you don’t have to worry.”

 

“Alrighty then, if it’s not a problem, then why don’t you sleep over here tonight and I’ll get Happy to drive you to school tomorrow? That way you don’t have go all the way back to Queens, so you can get to sleep early. Sound good?”

Peter’s not a stupid kid, he probably knows that if he stays over, Tony’ll know if he sleeps or not, and how much, if anything at all.

 

 He tenses for a moment, before speaking. “No, no, that’s fine, really. I’ll just leave a bit earlier, so I’ll get home earlier and, um– sleep. Earlier.”

 

“Mhm. Okay, at least tell me this. Why have you been losing sleep?” He’s beginning to really worry now. If he’s that stubborn to sleep, Tony wants to know what’s making him not sleep.

 

“Well,” Peter looks down at his desk. “homework’s been piling up lately, and so I can’t go on patrols as much during the evening as I’d like anymore. So, you know, I just kinda’ move the patrolling a little bit later instead. But, not like, super late, though!” He adds that last part hastily, then sighs. “I just feel like I could be patrolling more, you know?”

 

Oh, that. Tony knows that Peter takes patrolling very seriously and he also knows that the kid will be out there fighting crime for as long as he possibly can. Heck, his whole motivation for doing what he does is that he feels like all the bad things that happen when he’s not out there, happen because of him.

 

“Pete, kid, I know you want to be out patrolling as much as you can, and that’s fine. But you also need to take care of yourself. You can’t risk your own health like that. It’s not good for you. Plus, you want to be in tip top shape when you’re out there saving peoples lives. So you can do your best, right?”

 

“Yeah, I guess.” Peter says quietly, looking more and more tired as the seconds tick by.

 

Even though it might seem like he got the message, Tony knows better. He knows (from experience) that Peter will take his advice and throw it in the trash. Not that Peter doesn’t listen to his advice, not at all, but when it comes to advice about self-care, Peter just doesn’t take it. It’s like he doesn’t even know what the word ‘self-care’ means.

 

Tony stands up from his chair and walks over to Peter to put a hand on his shoulder.

 

“What do you say we go take a break, huh?”

 

Alright, time for Plan B.

 

**-+-**

 

When Tony has Peter situated on the couch in the TV room, he goes to his own room. Tony opens the nightstand drawer and pulls out one of his little bags of sleeping powder. It’s like a sleeping pill, but powderized. Just mix it in with any beverage of your liking, and it works like magic.

 

Tony had asked Bruce to make the powder for him for when he can’t get to sleep. He prefers it over swallowing pills, makes him feel less like he’s an old man taking his daily medicine.

 

Now, Tony knows how this sounds. He’s not going to drug Peter. Well, kind of, but not exactly. He just wants him to get some rest, if only for today. He can’t stand seeing Peter this tired and under the weather. He’ll just get him to sleep, text his Aunt May that he will be sleeping over, and then in the morning he’ll have Happy drive him to school.

 

Tony also knows that Peter will probably not be too happy with him after this, but it’s for his own good. And his good comes before his feelings this time.

 

**-+-**

 

When he’s finished mixing up the powder in a glass of juice and filling up a glass for himself, he goes back to the TV room where Peters waiting. He takes a seat on the couch beside Peter and hands him the glass.

 

“Here you go, it’s just some orange juice, thought you might want something to drink.”

 

Peter takes the glass in his hand and takes a sip. “Thanks.”

 

“No problem. So–”

 

After that they small talk a little bit while Peter and Tony finish their drinks. Tony can see Peters eyes droop and the way he starts to blink slowly. When Peter finishes his juice in one last gulp he sets the glass down on the coffee table and leans back in the couch, yawning loudly.

 

Tony sees how Peter tries to stand up and prevents him from doing so by putting an arm around his shoulders and pulling him to his side. He also sees how Peter is trying to keep his eyes open and not fall asleep.

 

“Don’t fight it, kid. C’mon.”

 

“But–” He slurs.

 

“Shh, just go to sleep, Pete.” Tony whispers, and Peter slumps against him.

 

When Tony’s absolutely sure Peter is asleep, he lifts him up and starts walking towards the elevator. He takes the elevator up to the floor Peter’s guest room is in, goes over to Peter’s room and puts him in his bed. After he’s draped the comforter over him he takes out his phone and texts Peter’s Aunt May.

 

He hovers over Peter, hesitates for a second, before giving in and leaning down to press a quick kiss to his forehead.

 

“Goodnight, kid.”

 

_Fin._

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Hope you liked it.
> 
> If you didn't, feel free to leave a comment notifying me what could be done better.
> 
> I've had a bit of a writers block for a while and lost my creativity, so this is my come back after a few months. 
> 
> (By the way, I cannot wait for IW 2 to come out, I think I'm going to spontaneously combust any second now.)
> 
> Thanks, L <3


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